The Golden Rules of Instagram
Instagram isn’t just about posting pretty pictures and hoping for the best. If you want to grow your audience and boost engagement, you need a strategy. Whether you're a luxury wedding venue, a boutique travel business, or a premium hospitality brand, these golden rules will help you master the Instagram and attract the right clients.
1. Know Your Audience
Before you post anything, ask yourself: Who is this for? Your content needs to add value. Are you educating couples about their dream wedding venue, inspiring travelers to book a countryside retreat, or connecting with past and future clients? If you don’t have a clear aim, your post might not land the way you want it to. People should leave your post feeling like they’ve gained something – whether it’s knowledge, motivation, or a sense of excitement.
2. High-Quality Images & Video Only
Instagram is a visual platform, so don’t skimp on quality. Use high-resolution images and videos that showcase the beauty of your venue or location. If you’re creating Reels, stick to portrait format. Whether it’s a breathtaking countryside estate, a rustic barn wedding setup, or a scenic getaway, make sure your visuals are as premium as your brand.
3. Nail Your Captions
A great caption has three key parts:
A scroll-stopping opening line – something intriguing, romantic, or wanderlust-inducing to make people stop scrolling.
The meaty middle – the main message of your post, whether that’s showcasing a real wedding, highlighting a new package, or sharing behind-the-scenes insights.
A call to action (CTA) – tell your audience what you want them to do next! Inquire, book a visit, save the post for inspiration – make it clear and compelling.
4. Add a Location
Tagging a location makes your post more discoverable, especially for wedding and tourism businesses. If you work at specific venues regularly, tag them in your posts to strengthen your association with the location and increase visibility to potential clients searching for their dream venue or travel experience. If there’s a more relevant location – such as a specific countryside estate, historic landmark, or boutique hotel – tag that instead.
5. Use Up to 30 Hashtags
You might not be able to follow hashtags anymore, but they still work for discoverability. Think of them as search terms – use relevant, varied hashtags to maximise your reach. Avoid overused, generic ones like #love or #instagood; instead, focus on industry-specific ones such as #luxuryweddingvenue, #countryretreat, or #dreamweddingdestination.
6. Post to Your Stories Immediately
As soon as you post, share it to your Stories. Either post the content itself with a hook (“New post! You won’t want to miss this fairytale wedding!”) or share a link that directs people straight to it. Stories keep your post circulating longer and boost engagement.
7. Stay on the App Afterwards
Instagram rewards engagement, so don’t just post and ghost. Stick around for a few minutes after posting – reply to comments, engage with other posts from venues, suppliers, and potential clients, and interact with your audience. This signals to Instagram that your post is valuable and encourages it to push your content to more people.
Stick to these golden rules, and you’ll see a real difference in your Instagram performance.